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SaGAS, the Short and Graphic Ability Score: an alternative scoring method for the motor components of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite.
Journal article

SaGAS, the Short and Graphic Ability Score: an alternative scoring method for the motor components of the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite.

  • Vaney C Neurologische Rehabilitations- und MS-Abteilung, Berner Klinik, Montana, Switzerland. vaney.claude@bernerklinik.ch
  • Vaney S
  • Wade DT
  • 2004-05-06
Published in:
  • Multiple sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England). - 2004
Activities of Daily Living
Adult
Aged
Disability Evaluation
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Middle Aged
Models, Theoretical
Motor Activity
Multiple Sclerosis
Outcome Assessment, Health Care
Psychometrics
Reproducibility of Results
Sensitivity and Specificity
Severity of Illness Index
English The timed performances of the 10-m timed walk (TMTW) and the nine-hole peg test (NHPT) of 881 consecutive patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) undergoing a rehabilitation stay, were expressed as a logarithmic function of time in two subscores to form a composite score called the Short and Graphic Ability Score (SaGAS). The subscores (sS) were constructed in such a way that any interval of 0.5 unit corresponds to a change of 25% in the tests. The SaGAS was computed as the mean of four subscores: SaGAS = (2 x TMTWsS + NHPTsS right hand + NHPTsS left hand). With the aid of a nomogram, the timed values of the tests are easily transformed into the corresponding subscores, which are then displayed graphically to facilitate follow-up over time. The correlation coefficients between the SaGAS and the two motor components of the MS Functional Composite (MSFC) (r = 0.987), the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS)(r = -0.83), the Nottingham EADL Index (r = 0.80) and the Rivermead Mobility Index (RMI) (r = 0.90) were all statistically significant (P < 0.001), supporting the validity of the measure. SaGAS had a similar sensitivity to the RMI, but was significantly more sensitive than the EDSS in detecting changes occurring during the rehabilitation stay (14.9% versus 5.0%; P < 0.001) and over a one-year follow-up (35.3% versus 19.7%; P < 0.001). Compared with the motor components of the MSFC, with which it shares several features, SaGAS has several advantages: it does not depend on the stratification of the study population; it does not skew the results of the NHPT towards improvement at the lower end; and it offers an independent assessment of both hands. SaGAS is a simple, intuitive, nonphysician-based measure, which could provide consistent scoring in future clinical trials.
Language
  • English
Open access status
closed
Identifiers
Persistent URL
https://folia.unifr.ch/global/documents/196725
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